Hybrid Bike for 5'3" Male

I'm having quite a time trying to find a bike for myself. It's been a long time since I've ridden a bike with any regularity. I'm looking for something to go fast on pavement. Greenways, cruising downtown Nashville, and eventually group rides. I like the idea of a road bike, but not sure I want to lean that far over. Definately don't want anything too heavy or anything with big fat tires. My budget is around $150-$250. Willing to go a bit more.

There's lots of hybrids on the market, but most of them seem to be geared towards taller men. I'm 5'3", and even some size charts on the Internet don't even start with my height. Any suggestions for "off the shelf" models so I don't have to spend lots of money on a custom build?

I'm 5'10" and ride a 17.5" Trek 7.3 FX, which just fits me, in the sense that I've got the seat post up as far as it can go (it can probably go 8 inches lower). I probably could have done with a 20" frame, but the 17.5" frame does work for me. Like the Trek 7100 posted about above, the FX series also comes in 15" frames, and I'd imagine that a 15" frame would accommodate someone quite a bit smaller than me. You'd need to find a second-hand one to stay in your budget, but I think you'd struggle to find a decent new bike within your budget.

You could try a local bike shop to see if a 15" frame fits first, and then start hunting around for a second hand machine.

I'm a 5'2" female and I ride a 15" Jamis Coda (men's geometry). It's not SUPER light, but I can pick it up to bring inside/put it on the bus/etc, and runs 700c x 28 wheels. Purchased new it's out of the price range you mentioned (I paid around $500) but you might be able to find a used one/older model year.

Thanks for your thoughtful responses everyone! I decided to go with the Dawes Eclipse that tomn8r recommended. One for me, and a Pink ladies bike for my wife. My wife is 5'4" so these bikes seem to be perfect for our needs.

Thanks for your thoughtful responses everyone! I decided to go with the Dawes Eclipse that tomn8r recommended. One for me, and a Pink ladies bike for my wife. My wife is 5'4" so these bikes seem to be perfect for our needs.

Give us a report on your impressions after you get it. Seems like a lot of bike for very little money.